Mousa Dembele ruled out for Tottenham vs Hull while Erik Lamela could return after Christmas

Tottenham Hotspur star Mousa Dembele will miss the visit of Hull City on Wednesday night (14 December) after suffering a foot injury during the weekend defeat to Manchester United. Mauricio Pochettino also confirmed that the game will come too early for Erik Lamela and Vincent Janssen but the Argentinian could be back before the end of the year.

Dembele was replaced by Harry Winks in the second part of the game at Old Trafford due to a new foot injury. Pochettino has thus ruled him out for the visit of Hull while is also uncertain about his availability for the weekend trip to Burnley.

"He will be out for tomorrow. We will see for Sunday but for sure, he will not be available against Hull. He got a kick in his foot and it is very painful now," Pochettino said in the press conference as quoted by Evening Standard. "We need to see what happens over the next few days. Maybe he will be ready for Sunday."

Meanwhile, Lamela is yet to play a game for Tottenham since the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on 25 October due to a hip injury. Furthermore, earlier this month the Argentinian was given permission to travel to his homeland to respond to a family problem.

Pochettino has revealed that the 24-year-old forward is back in London since Monday and could be ready to return for the clash against Southampton on 28 December. Lamela will thus remain out for the coming two games against Hull and Burnley but may hand Pochettino a major boost for the busy festive period. Yet, following the clash with the Saints, Spurs will face Watford, Chelsea and Aston Villa in the Fa Cup in the space of eight days.

"He is in training and he is much better. It's normal that after a few days in Argentina he needs to train again and feel good again, so we need to assess him," Pochettino said. "We will see in the next few days when he can be available but it is hard to give a date. Maybe the weekend is too early, but perhaps he can play against Southampton; we will see. We hope he can train again with the group as soon as possible."

Janssen has also missed the last three games due an ankle injury and Pochettino confirmed that the Dutchman remain out to face Hull.